Clamping means



Dec. 6; 1932.

A. MORANDI CLAMPING MEANS Filed Sept. 5, 1930 j Tigi In Ven for: monz'o Mfa'l" ligatented Dect, 5, 1932 NTED STATES mf-awa...-

ANTONIO MORANDE, F MNXH, G'ysmlfi t? CLAMPNG MEANS Application med September 5, 1930, Serial No.

- This invention refers broadly to clamping meansas used particularly in carpenters Work and the like, and more especially to that kind of such devices in which the clamping, operation is produced Without the use ot pressure screws and the like by the aid of locking means cooperating with opposed substantially jaw-shaped pressure producing members and a bar-shaped sliding member which is movably passed through both of the said opposed members. In clamping means of the kind described which are usually secured to a relatively stationary instrumen talit-y, such as for instance the Working bench or the like, the sliding member which is movable with relation to the unsupported jawlike member is somewhat tilted in its guide slots and by the inclined position thereby produced it operates as a clamping means for the device. As compared with similar devices of the general description referred to my invention is intended to very materially simplify the construction and the manipulation of these devices and in view thereof itis one of the important objects of my invention to provide means of eecting the locl= ing movement of the clamp by one single stage of operation and to further arrive at a very rapid disengagement of the members of the clamp by positively and reliably actinfnr operating means. Broadly considered this object is accomplished by providing coupling means adapted to couple the movable clamping member by a slotted bracket or the like with a handle rotatably disposed on the sliding, bar-shaped member and serving as a pressure producing` means Jfor the jaws, so that the slotted bracket which. is eccentrir` cally linked to the handley will, on account of the provision ot the slot, only transmit the opening movement of the handle to the mov able clamping jaw by pulling action.) While it allows of a certain play tor the closing action. l

The invention will be more dtully ex plained with reference to the accompanying drawing showing by Way of exempiication an embodiment of the principles ot tlie inyention in Figure l in side view. and in Fig;-

ure 'n plan view. Figure 3 illustrates 'tbe 4*?97?, and in Germany September 52?, w29.,

clamping oi the sliding bar after the securmg in position of the piece of Work.

The clamping' device comprises a clamping jaw adapted to be secured to the Working bench a by a fastening screw or in any other 5 suitable manner, and the colnplemcntal, displaceable clamping jaw c, the holding legs of the jaws being upwardly directed in the exi emplification shown. Both jaws and c are provided with guide slots ai and e -lor the reception of a sliding bar 7 usually consisting of a ilat edgewise disposed rail or iron bar or the like. The said rail f is not tightly seated in the guide slots d and e, but with some play, particularly in the vertical direct-ion. At the iront end of sliding bar f a handle g is pivotally secured which is rotatable on the axis afi-., the said handle comprising an inner camshaped enlargement or ringer fr which is slotted and is adapted to operate against the front portion of the guide member c of the clamping jaw 0. rlthe ham die g may moreover be coupled to the clamping jaw c by a link-like pulling member 'i in such a manner that the pressing' movements of the member le may be readily transmitted to the guiding portion e of the jaw 0 Without interfering Wit-li the operation of the handle, While the opening movements ot the cam-member 7i will be caused by the pulling member z to produce rotating and displacing),` movements on the jaw o. ln the exempliica'tion shown the pulling member i is a slotted link or the like which is movably secured at one end to a stud Il: eccentrically disposed on the cam-member li and also embracing' a stud l on die jaw o. 'li'he size et the slot or" the linie i is so adiusted as to pre duce* a. rapid trensmission or1 the pullingy iovemcnt from the stud ,7c to the stud i., 'when im the member it performs its releasing action. in View el? "t tact that the connecting linie is arranged the lower portion @if the m able jaw c the operation of the locking operating cai. .e .by the handle-g Wild Y duce pull from below upwards upon the movable jaw and by this means the bar or beam f will be quickly' loosened in the opem is tilted and clamped in the slot of both aws and thereby securely retains the jaws, particularly the movable jaw c in the clamping and operating position., the jaws being forced against the bar from below` The same pull that tilts and releases the movable jaw tilts and releases the bar or beam f in the fixed ]aw.

Upon the upper interior surface of the vertically enlarged guide slot Z of the clamping j aw a cross-sectionally square or oblong or otherwise cornered projection, shoulder or stud m is provided which projects downwardly. The bottom surface n of the slot is inclined in such a manner that it is ilaring outwardly towards the free 'end of the sliding bar f so that the projecting member m acts like a ulcrum upon whichl the outer portion ot the beamv or sliding bar f may rock, until itis clamped in position b the relative tilting action of the movable Jaw c and of the inner portion of said bar f, the extensible connection provided by the slotted link z' absorbing undesirable .backward reaction of the bar f and causing said bar to become fully engaged by the project1on m and the edge g of the fixed jaw b and by the diametrically opposed ed es s, t of the movable jaw by a kind of we ge-like action.

In order to lock a piece of work 1n the clamping device according to this inventlon the handle g is operated and is raised somewhat in the direction of the arrow o, which results in the loosening of the sliding bar f 1n the guide slot d of the jaw b, so that the bar f may be displaced in the longitudinal direction or withdrawn without binding or other impediment. Inasmuch as the clamping jaw c is coupled to the handle g by the link or shackle z' in the direction of pulling movement, the jaw will follow the movement of the sliding bar and the jaws of the device are opened. The piece of work is then placed against the lining of the clamping )aw b, whereupon the clamping jaw c 1s moved t0- wards the piece of work by more deeply inserting the sliding bar f into the slotted guide d. During this operation the own weight of the sliding bar f and the counter-pressure of the piece of work produce a certain inclination of the bar f in the guide slot d, so that the upper surface of the edgewise disposed sliding bar f rests against the edge p of the projection or shoulder m and upon the front edge g of the bottom of the slot, so that the parts will bind and a clamping action is produced upon their edges. The proper locking of the piece of work in the clamping support and the subsequent increase of the clamping action on the edges is performed by the depression of the handle q in the direction of the arrow f2'. .\s a result thereof the cam-like member pushes the jaw e rearwards in the guide member c. and 'torres it against the, piece of work. As n result of the eccentrically operating counter-pressure of the piece of work an additional edge-clamping action is produced on the clampin jaw c and the sliding bar f, as shown in figure 3 of the drawing. The slotted guide e of the jaw a is therefore somewhat tilted with relation to the sliding bar f, the edge s of the ide engaging the upper side of the bar f, while the diagonally opposite edg'e of the guide is en gaged with the bottom side of the bar f, the said two edges binding against the outer faces of the bar f. In consequence of the additional binding action of the eccentric member le, against the guiding portion e of the jaw c an absolutely secure and reliable locking of the piece of work in position is 0 btained, which is not released by the operations performed with the piece of work. In order to unclutch the piece of work the handle g is pulled upwards in the direction of the arrow o. This causes first the disengagement of the member 7L and of the guidmg member e, whereupon the pulling member z' is actuated and causes the jaw o to be raised somewhat, while its binding action with relation to the bar f is reduced and the member loosened, the jaw c being thus somewhat raised and ulled forward. The `locking of the piece o work is thereby released and the jaw c may be readily pulled forward together with the bar f y taking hold of the handle g. The very simple, easily operated, rapidly actuated closing and openin rmeans constitute some of the important a vantages of this invention, the entire operation of the device comprising merely a quick displacement of the sliding bar f with clamping jaw c and a short rotating movement of the handle g, or the movement of the parts in the inversed order` for the correspondingly reversed operation. There is the other important novel feature that pieces of Work of very considerable longitudinal extension may be locked in the vertical position in the longitudinal central plane of the clamping device in viewof the slight thickness of the edgewise disposed sliding bar f or very close. to said plane.

The coupling arrangement between the handle g and the clamping jaw c which merely produces a pulling action may be also` disposed at the lower side of these members.

While I havedescribed by way of exemplification one of the possible embodiments of the principles of this invention, it should beV understood that it may find expression i'n other embodiments. and changes and modifications in the shape, conliguration andarrangement ot the parts are possible without deviating from the principles of the invention. as set forth in the appended claims.

T claim l. ln a clamping vise the. combination With two relatively movable. oppositely recessed clampingr jaws. un edgewise disposed beam substantially axially guided in said jaws7 andl cam sha ed locking means at one end of said beam, o guiding means in one of said jaws, loosely embracing the beam, so that the jaw and beam may tilt into locking engagement and connecting means for said jaw, being eccentrically pivoted to the locking means and so connected to said jaw that unclamping action of the locking means tilts the jaw to release the same.

2. In a clamping vise the combination with two relatively movable confronting recessed clamping jaws, an edgewise disposed beam, substantially axially guided in said jaws, cam shaped locking means at one end of said beam, of guiding means in both of said jaws, substantially aligningly disposed and loosely embracing the beam, link-shaped connecting means eccentrically pivoted to said locking means and to the jaw engageable with said locking means, so that the unclamping motion of said locking means tilts both the beam and the jaw engaged by said locking means and releases said beam from both of the jaws.

3. In ,a clamping vise in combination, a relatively xed andoa relatively movable jaw confronting each other, aligningly disposedl slotted guiding means in said jaws, and an axially and tiltingly movable bar of smaller cross-section than the guiding means passed through said guiding means for axial and angular movement therein, a rotatable camlike member at one end of the bar, engageable with the outside of said movable jaw, and link connection between the lower portion of the movable jaw and the cam-like member and eccentrically connected to said camlike member.

4. In a clamping vice in'fcombination, a

relatively fixed and a relatively movable jaw confronting each other, aligningly disposed `guiding means in said jaws, and an axially movable bar of smaller cross section-than said guiding means and passed through said guiding means for axial and tilting movement in both of ,said jaws, cam-shaped operating and locking means pivoted to the end 0f said bar adjacent the outer surface of the movable jaw and engaging therewith, a guide pin in the lower part of said movable jaw, and a connecting link, eccentrically pivoted to the cam-shaped locking means and slidingly guided on said guide pin, and adapted to move with play in the closing and compres sion movement of the locking means.

ANTONIO MORANDI. 

